Today, I cast my vote in support of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, because we owe it to future generations to save our planet.  This legislation will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs with long term savings on electricity bills, lower fuel consumption, and increased energy conservation.  And the cost to consumers is equal to a postage stamp a day.  This bill reduces our reliance on foreign oil and will help make our country the leader in the new clean energy economy.

The consequences of global warming are real and imminent.  The 12th Congressional District of California, where I have lived my entire life, will lose entire neighborhoods, business districts and even the San Francisco International Airport to rising sea levels unless we act now.  The truth is Congress should have answered this call a decade ago.  The world scientific community has been warning us for years about the dangers of unchecked carbon emissions and the evidence is indisputable.  The time to act is now.

The argument that addressing the challenge of global warming is detrimental to the economy would be laughable were it not so dangerous.  The only businesses hurt by clean energy legislation are those that refuse to adapt.  Whole new industries will be created from our investment in clean energy, many of them right here in the Bay Area.  Much like the leading tech companies of today were born from the broadband and internet revolution of previous decades, I expect exciting new green companies to spring up in San Francisco and along the peninsula.  Already, thousands of new jobs are being created in the region by innovators and entrepreneurs creating new energy systems, bio-fuels, and more efficient electrical systems.  To paraphrase the President:  Clean energy is profitable energy.

Each new step we take toward reducing our dependence on foreign oil provides fresh opportunities for scientific achievement, public and private sector innovation, clean technology development, consumer savings and renewed economic prosperity.  Whether in the classroom, the laboratory, the board room or the local community, people are making great strides in clean energy and conservation and are already reaping the benefits in the here and now.  The American Clean Energy and Security Act is broadly supported by environmental, consumer, labor, business, agriculture, manufacturing and industry groups, because they all have seen the promise of a clean energy future and are ready to rise to this challenge.  I am pleased to support this important legislation to help the United States continue on the path to economic recovery and global leadership in the 21st Century.